Nadal out of Buenos Aires tournament

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Rafael Nadal will miss next week’s ATP tournament in Buenos Aires following a stomach bug that has hindered his recovery from the back injury he sustained at the Australian Open.

Rafael Nadal of Spain attends a news conference after losing his men's singles final match against Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland at the Australian Open 2014 tennis tournament in Melbourne January 26, 2014. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

“I had a stomach virus that has not allowed me to train this morning (Thursday) and I have had to put back everything,” the world number one said on his website (www.rafaelnadal.com).

“We are three days from the start of the tournament and without having been able to train a single day since Australia it means it has been impossible for me to prepare sufficiently to compete in an event so important as Buenos Aires.”

Nadal’s back injury contributed to his surprise four-set defeat by Switzerland’s number eight seed Stanislas Wawrinka in the Australian Open final at the end of January.